Tessa's Agreement
by VBreadergirl123
Summary: When Mortmain invades the Institute, Will and Jem try and get Tessa to a safe house. But when they are intercepted and the boys' lives are in the balance, what is Tessa willing to do to save them? I don't own TID, Cassandra Clare does. This is my first fanfic, so let me know what you think! EDIT: EPILOGUE HAS BEEN POSTED
1. Chapter 1

The clockwork creatures were invading the London Institute. Apparently, Mortmain could wait no longer.

"Tessa! Get out of here, it's you that Mortmain wants!" shouted Charlotte. "Will, Jem, go with her!"

"But what about you?" Tessa couldn't leave them here. They were the only real family she had left.

"Don't worry, help is on the way. You have to go!"

Will and Jem led Tessa outside, and they ran towards the horses. Jem helped Tessa onto Bailos and jumped on in front of her, while Will mounted Xanthos, and they raced off down the street away from the Institute. It was dark outside, and Tessa laced her arms around Jem's stomach and held on tight as they rode along. Almost no lights were on outside, as it was nearly three in the morning.

"Where are we going?" asked Tessa.

Jem responded without taking his eyes off the road. "We've had an emergency safe house just in case anything like this happened ever since Mortmain broke in the first time. The others will meet us there. Plus, we have an emergency kit just in case anyone is hurt."

"And we can't help the rest of them"

"The best thing we can do is get you away, since you are the one Mortmain wants," Will shouted from Xanthos.

They continued racing along the road, and turned off onto a path into the woods. _The safe house must be well hidden, then_, Tessa thought. She leaned into Jem, who had ducked low enough that they could both ride without hitting any low branches. Suddenly, Tessa noticed a galloping sound coming from behind her, which obviously wasn't Will: he was in front.

"Jem! I think we are being followed!" Tessa shouted over the pounding of the horses. She turned around and saw that she was right. Jem relayed the message up to Will, and they began to push the horses off the path.

"We have to lose them before we make it to the safe house or they will have us surrounded," Jem yelled back. Tessa held on tighter as they pounded through the woods.

Bailos reared back without any warning to Tessa, forcing her to fight to stay on the horse. She peeked over Jem's shoulder and saw that there were now horses in front of them and behind them, and Will and Xanthos were forced next to them. They were surrounded.

She saw in the corner of her eye a group of seven or eight clockwork creatures dismount the horses and come towards them, but the only thing she truly focused on was the one man who did not dismount his horse. Mortmain.

* * *

"I swear, if you don't let us go right now we will destroy ever last one of the heartless beasts here, INCLUDING YOU!" Will threatened, currently locked in a stare down with Mortmain. Mortmain only smiled.

"But Mr. Herondale, you misunderstand me," he said patronizingly, "I am not here to kill you. In fact I have no desire to do so. But I want Miss Gray, and I plan to have her. Maybe tonight, maybe not. It all depends on the outcome here." Mortmain signaled to one of the clockwork men, and they swarmed the horses. Before Will or Jem had time to kick them into action, the three of them were ripped from the backs of Xanthos and Bailos. They picked themselves up in a hurry, and Will and Jem surrounded Tessa. Will handed her a dagger "just in case," but with the boys she really didn't need it.

They fought for almost ten minutes straight when two unnoticed clockwork creatures grabbed Will and Jem and yanked them over to Mortmain. The creatures were strong, and neither Will or Jem could break their holds. Tessa was left alone, standing in the middle of a circle of things she hated while watching as the monsters held knives to Will and Jem's throats.

"I told you, I have no wish to kill you all," Mortmain said in a lazy tone, "but I must make myself clear to Miss Gray. To do so, I will send her home with one of these two men, where they can discuss the matter of joining me. But it is impossible for all three of you to return to the Institute tonight." Mortmain smiled, and stared into Tessa's eyes. "Your choice, dearest, which man will be returning to you, and which will be left to my friends… devices?"

Tessa looked at both of the boys, and knew suddenly she could not make this choice. She began to search for loopholes. "You said," she began, "that all three of us would not return to the Institute tonight, that it could only be two of us." She paused, not wanting to show how much her voice was shaking. Mortmain smiled and nodded his agreement. She glanced back at the boys, and she saw by the horrified look in their eyes that they caught her meaning.

"Tessa, no—" Will began, but was promptly silenced with a hand over his mouth. Jem just stood there trying to mouth her the words over and over: _no no no no no no please no_

She took a deep, steadying breath. "If I decide to come with you, will you let both of them go?" Both the boys shook their heads rigorously, unable to speak through the hands covering their mouths. "But, I want a contract. If I go with you, I want you to leave Will, Jem, Charlotte and her baby, Henry, Jessamine, Sophie, Cecily, and everybody else I care about—and I KNOW you know everyone if I am forgetting—alone as long as I am in your home or none of them come to rescue me. If you agree to my terms, I will come with you freely and I won't even try and escape. Think carefully, Mortmain. This is an offer you might not want to refuse, as it will not ever be offered again." Tessa was shaking, but she finished. She could almost see the metaphorical gears of Mortmain's head spinning. He needed her, she knew, and he needed HER specifically. No one else could do what he wanted her to do.

"I believe we have a deal, Miss Gray," Mortmain said with a smile. He reached into his bag and pulled out a paper. He wrote out the contract, and when Tessa deemed it acceptable, both he and Tessa signed. He also made a copy for Will and Jem to take home to the Institute. "Now, Miss Gray, if you will accompany me on my horse to my… humble abode," he said as he made a mocking gentlemanly bow.

"Can… can I at least say goodbye to them?" She nodded over to Will and Jem, who were still being restrained and were futilely trying to get away. Mortmain hesitantly nodded, and signaled to his inventions to release the boys while keeping a close circle around them. They rushed over to Tessa and wrapped her in a tight hug. They started talking at once.

"Why would you—"

"What do you think—"

"—do that, you and Jem could—

"—you are doing, you should have—"

"—have gone away and married—"

"—saved Will, I only have so long—"

"YOU CAN'T GO WITH HIM!" They ended at the same time with the same words. "Tessa," Jem began, "you don't know what he is going to do to you, you should have just let one of us go—"

Tessa stopped him. "Listen," she said, "I can not let either one of you die. Mortmain won't kill me, he needs me too much, and doing this will prevent anyone else from dying as long as _no one tries to break me out_." Tessa emphasized the last part, staring at both of them. They both began to protest when Mortmain called out that her time was up. "You have to let me go, this is my choice!"

"Tess," Will started.

Tessa interrupted. "Jem, I am so sorry this means we can't get married. But you have to know I love you so much." Tessa stopped because she was crying, and Jem leaned in and kissed her. "Will, you have to know I love you, too. I can't let either one of you go with him." She handed the contract to them.

"Tessa, there has to be another way!" Will shouted. But there wasn't, because at this point, the boys were wrenched away from Tessa still yelling.

Tessa turned and walked towards Mortmain, who was quite interested in the way that the events were playing out. She turned around one last time. "I'm so sorry." Then she mounted the horse behind Mortmain, and they rode away.


	2. Chapter 2

**OK, here's chapter two! It's going to switch points of view a lot, and I think that it might be a little shorter than the first one, but not sure. Hope you like it!**

* * *

After the clockwork monsters released Will and Jem, and then seemingly disappeared, they sprinted back to the horses and rode back to the Institute at a breakneck pace. The entire journey passing as a blur, Will could only think about Tessa, about how she wouldn't just save Jem and go get married. He knew she could never be with him, and he didn't know why she would try and keep him alive. All he knew for sure was that he _had to had to had to_ get her away from Mortmain, and the others would agree. Screw the contract, he couldn't leave her there.

He and Jem barged through the Institute doors where he met Charlotte, who he assumed was on the way to the safe house. _All the clockwork fighters disappeared from here, too_, he thought. Charlotte looked at Will and Jem. "Where's Tessa?"

As she looked back and forth between the boys, Henry, Sophie, Cecily, Jessamine, and Gideon had made their ways towards the front door and were currently staring at Will and Jem, dreading their answer. Jem handed Charlotte the piece of paper that held Tessa's fate and Will watched her read it with an increasingly defeated-looking expression. "Will, what are you planning?" she sighed.

He glanced at Jem. "Well… no matter how much we all hate it, we have to leave Tessa there for at least a little while, ONLY," he spoke louder as everyone began to protest, "ONLY because we have to make Mortmain think we aren't going to look for Tessa." He could see how much this was going to hurt them, Jem especially. "Then, forget that contract, we are going to get Tessa out of there. If she is willing to put her life in jeopardy for us, we should be willing to do the same for her. The only problem is that we don't know where she is. We had absolutely nothing to follow. It was as if his creatures disappeared form the face of the earth."

"That's how it was here," Henry agreed. "One minute we were fighting, and the next they were gone."

"Exactly," said Jem. "There has to be something we can track her with. We should go search her room right now. Who wants to help me?"

"I will," Will volunteered immediately. "The rest of you should start planning what we should do when we find her." And with that, he and Jem ran up to Tessa's room.

* * *

Mortmain's so called "humble abode" was really more of a castle. Larger than the Institute, the inside was almost maze-like. Only a person who knew the building well would be able to navigate in and out, and once Tessa was inside, she almost immediately lost track of the path to the exit. Not that it mattered: she wasn't planning on leaving.

Mortmain led her to an elegant suite instead of the dungeon she was expecting. The walls were dark purple with gold accents, and the huge bed was the same color. There was a dresser, silver with purple decorations, and it was already filled with expensive-looking clothing. Soft carpet covered the floor, and there was a decorative chandelier that sparkled in the sunlight coming from the window. She noticed that the window would only be allowed to open so far. _To prevent any escape_, Tessa thought. _He must have had this room set up for a while_.

"Well, Miss Gray, what do you think of your new living arrangements?" Mortmain asked amusedly.

"They are lovely," she said, averting her eyes.

"I hope that you will be willing to… cooperate with me later today. But for now, get some sleep. You need rest."

Mortmain cast one glance at the bed, raised an eyebrow at Tessa, and then turned and walked out of the room. When he left, Tessa tried the door handle: locked. He still didn't trust her. But she wasn't going to risk the life of her friends. Tessa walked over to the bed and ran her hand over the covers. Mortmain had really outdone himself. She stared out the window. _I must be up high, I think I can see the Institute from here_, she thought. _I wonder if they can see this place from here_. She didn't remember seeing it, but she hadn't really been looking. _Maybe it's glamoured_.

Without pulling the covers down, she kicked off her shoes and lay down on the edge of her bed. If it had been any other time than four in the morning, she wouldn't have been able to fall asleep.

* * *

Tessa's room obviously didn't have much, as she hadn't been at the Institute as long as the rest of them had. She still had a few things, though. She has her books, obviously, and some clothes that Jessamine helped her pick out when she first arrived. However, Will doubted Tessa was very attached to the clothes, and the books weren't actually _hers_, but brought up from the Institute's library. Will began to search for her clockwork angel necklace, but his efforts were useless as she had worn it that night.

"Will, what are these?" Jem asked. He pulled a box from under Tessa's bed, and Will recognized the letters that she had written to her traitorous brother when she had first arrived in London.

"She wrote these to her brother before she learned that he was going to betray her."

"Would these work to track her with?" Jem asked hopefully.

"They might, as long as they didn't loose any emotional attachment when Nathaniel betrayed her. We might as well try."

Jem put the letters back in the box and headed towards the door with Will right behind him. Running back down to the others, Jem placed the box on the table.

"Try this," he said. "Call Magnus and try this."

* * *

**Good? Bad? Should I keep going? Please let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And... here is chapter 3! I hope you guys like this so far. Remember, I don't own TID! Sorry, I think this chapter is short. I will make the next one longer.**

* * *

Magnus sighed. "I can't find her with this. I don't know if it doesn't work, or if Mortmain has somehow hidden his home." He saw the disappointed looks from everyone around the table. "I'm sorry. I'll keep looking, but it isn't likely that this box will do the job."

Charlotte blew out a breath of air. "Did you boys find anything else?"

"Nothing that would work. We looked for her clockwork angel, but she wore it last night," Jem said.

"There has to be _something_ there, _anything_—" Will started.

"Will, all I know is that she is still sort of nearby. I can pinpoint no location, and without one we cannot find her. I'm sorry." Magnus truly did feel sorry. He liked the girl, not in _that_ way, but he didn't want her to die, especially without them solving the mystery of her parentage. And he knew that this was killing Will, especially after he just learned the truth about his curse, or lack thereof.

Will slammed his hands on the table, pushed out from his chair, and stormed out of the room. Jem watched for a moment, and then turned to follow him.

"Magnus," Charlotte began, "I was wondering if… when we did go rescue Tessa… if you would be willing to assist us? Especially with convincing the Clave to help as well?"

"Of course," he said.

"Thank you, Magnus."

"Then if you have no more need of me, I will be off. Send word if you find something better to track Miss Gray with." And Magnus disappeared in a cloud.

* * *

Jem found WIll tearing through Tessa's room. Nothing was in its place, and it basically looked like an explosion had went off. "Will…" he began.

"We have to have missed _something, something_ has to be here to track her with!" Jem had almost never seen Will look so desperate. He almost seemed not to have heard Jem, he only continued searching.

"Will, we've looked everywhere in here!" Will finally looked up at Jem, and he saw a quick glance at something Will had been hiding from him. Jem sighed.

"Jem, check your room, I am checking the library," said Will. He turned and walked out of the room. Jem watched him go, and then turned to go check his room.

He searched for two and a half hours.

He found nothing.

* * *

Tessa awoke to the smell of breakfast. She opened her eyes and saw a tray on the table next to her bed filled with eggs, bacon, biscuits, and juice. Finding she had little appetite, she had the bacon and juice but left the rest. She had just pushed the tray back on the table when Mortmain walked in.

"Good morning, dear," he said.

"Morning," said Tessa, pointedly refusing to add the "good" part.

"I hope you are well rested, as I was going to have you Change today, and you will need energy to hold the Change for a while." Tessa saw Mortmain pull out the same watch he showed her with the initials JTS, seemingly a lifetime ago. She eyed it and shook her head.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"_No_," she said more vehemently. "I won't do it. I have the guaranteed protection of everyone I care about, so the only person I can hurt in refusing is myself. So, no, I won't Change for you.""Miss Gray. I will give you until tomorrow morning to think about your actions and if you truly want to refuse me. During that time, I will be sure you are treated well. If you continue to refuse, I will have to resort to more… unpleasant forms of persuasion, and your treatment may change a bit… drastically." Mortmain stuck the watch back in his pocket and left Tessa alone in her room.

Tessa watched the door closed and inwardly screamed in frustration. She knew that after she saved Will and Jem that they would want her to try and save her own life, but she was too stubborn to give in. Plus, she had no idea who JTS was, or _why_ Mortmain needed to see him so badly. Or her. Maybe it was a her. For all Tessa knew, JTS could be an alien.

She looked around the closet and found the least fanciest dress she could find and put it on, relieved to be out of the clothes she was in last night. As she changed, she noticed she still wore her clockwork angel, and was surprised that Mortmain hadn't asked for it, yet. Because she had seen it work once, she unclasped it and then went to search the dresser drawers. Inside she was able to find some paper and a pen with ink. She began to write.

* * *

**And there it is! What do you all think so far? PLEASE REVIEW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Before I start this chapter I want to thank FloridaGirl and baneswoman for pointing out a couple errors I have in their reviews. I promise to explain Jessamine's presence in later chapters. Also, for story purposes, the characters will learn about JTS's identity later than they did in Clockwork Prince. OK, here is chapter 4!**

* * *

Will searched the library for hours. He searched everywhere that Tessa could have possibly hidden anything that means anything to her, and found nothing. He was still scouring every nook and cranny when he heard the door open. Will turned and saw his sister walk in.

"Will, you really need to sleep," she said. "You haven't slept in over twenty-four hours and you are only going to exhaust yourself, and then what help will you be?"

"I have to keep looking!" Will shouted. OK, so maybe he was tired and the stress was getting to him, but he couldn't stop. Not until he found something effective enough to track Tessa.

"Will, I know you love her."

At that he stopped. How could she know? He had built up walls his whole life that only Jem could _sometimes_ see through, so if Jem couldn't see it then why could Cecily? He had been gone for most of her life, anyway!

"I don't know what—" he started.

"_Will_, don't play stupid. I know what she means to you. I've seen it every time someone told you that we couldn't find her with something or other. You looked absolutely _crushed_. And you know why else I know? Because whenever you looked at her when she was around, I could tell it hurt that Jem was marrying her and not you, _because you look at her the way you looked at your family before you left_. And that sad look is the one you had the day before we all woke up and you were gone. You _knew_ it wasn't going to work out, but it hurt you anyway." Cecily stared at him, daring Will to contradict her.

"I—" Will stopped and couldn't form any more words. He sighed.

Cecily came up to him and hugged him. "She's going to be OK Will, we are going to get her out. But you _need _to tell Jem what you feel, or else this is just going to be a wedge between you, albeit one only _you _know about."

"We have to get her back."

"We _will,_" she promised. She started to leave the library. "Oh, and Will, by the Angel, _please_ get some sleep!"

Will sat down by the library window and wondered where Tessa was. Before he knew it, he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Tessa, to put it simply, was bored. She had nothing to do in her room besides stare out the window, and so far she had nearly memorized the entire view. She knew the location of all the trees, the way the road curves in and out, the height of the buildings compared to one another, and, in most detail, the little bit of the Institute she could see. Tessa had no idea how much the Institute felt like home until she left it.

A knock at the door made Tessa look up. "Come in."

A girl walked in, no more than thirteen year old. She had long blonde hair and hazel eyes and was extremely thin. She pointed to her throat and shook her head.

"You can't talk?" Tessa asked. The girl nodded. She made a writing motion with her hand. Tessa pulled out the ink she had found earlier and a sheet of paper and handed it to the girl. She quickly scribbled out:

_No one can know I told you, but Mortmain keeps me around because I can't say anything but doesn't know that I hear everything. You CAN'T give in to him. He found a way to make your Change permanent and you will never get your own identity back. If you Change every Shadowhunter will be in danger. I don't know why. Please keep this secret._

Tessa read it over and looked at the girl. She embraced her quickly. "Thank you so much." The girl nodded and hastily left the room. Tessa tore the note into shreds and threw them out the half-open window, knowing that in order to save _herself_, she couldn't give in. Ever.

* * *

Will woke up when he heard a thump on the window. He looked out and closed his eyes again, believing he was dreaming. When he opened them, it was still there.

Tessa's clockwork angel.

It was fluttering just outside the window, waiting for someone to let it in. It looked like it held a note. Will blinked one more time to make sure it was really there and then opened the window to let it fly inside. The angel dropped right in front of him, and he removed the note.

_Dear everyone,_

_I am sending my necklace away because I have seen it work. I think at least some of you have seen it work, too. Eventually, Mortmain will ask for it, and then who knows what he will make it do. I ask you to keep it safe for me. Don't worry about me, Mortmain won't kill me. I know how badly he needs me. Stay safe. Jem, I miss you and I hope we can find another way to get married. Will, don't do anything stupid._

_Tessa_

Will laughed at her last line. She knew him so well. And they _did_ know that Tessa's necklace wasn't completely... normal. It probably was a good idea that she didn't have it on her when Mortmain was around.

And now they had something to track her with.

Will grabbed the note and the necklace and ran out of the library towards the dining room where everyone had taken up strategizing. "Charlotte, call Magnus back here _right now_! This just hit the window." He held up the necklace and put it and the note in the middle of the table.

Jem picked up the note. "Just because he won't kill her doesn't mean he won't hurt her to get what he wants."

"I know," said Will. "That's why we have to track her. If this doesn't work, then nothing will!"

* * *

**What do you think of Chapter 4? Good? Bad? I really need some reviews! I hope you like it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alrighty! Here's chapter 5! Thank you so much for the reviews and I hope you like it! Remember, I don't own TID, Cassandra Clare does.**

* * *

Tessa woke up the next morning both terrified and oddly relieved. While she had no idea what Mortmain would do to her to try and make her Change, she was relieved that she had made her decision already: thanks to the blonde girl, she knew it was impossible to do anything but resist. The lives of everyone she cared about depended on it.

It was so ironic she could laugh. She ended up here in this elegant prison to save her friends, when her being here could actually endanger them more. Unless she resisted, no matter what happened she would lose them.

Tessa heard a brief knock at the door before she saw Mortmain come in the room. Before he closed the door, she could see a vague outline of two figures waiting outside her door. Automatons—for what purpose, Tessa could only imagine she would never find out.

"Well, dear Miss Gray, I hope that you have thought over your previously... resistant behavior. Compliance would make things much easier for you," Mortmain said with a faint smirk. He again took the watch out of his pocket and held it towards her.

Remembering the blonde's message, Tessa summoned her courage. "Mr. Mortmain, I regret to inform you that my mind has not been changed. I refuse to Change into whoever JTS is without answers. Who is he? Or she, I suppose."

"That information does not concern you until you embody said person."

"OK, then, why am I here? What were my parents? WHY do you need me so much?" Tessa was fed up with not having answers, and even though she didn't' plan on cooperating anyway, she hoped to weasel a few answers out of Mortmain before he figured that out.

"You don't need to know _any_ of that. All that matters is that you are here now and _you will change for me_ whether you like it or not. I can be patient, my dear." He snapped his fingers, and the door opened again and the two clockwork figures walked in. Very simple in design, their purpose was quite clear when Tessa's eyes fell on the sharp appendages coming out of their hands. She shrunk back against the wall. "I hope my friends are able to... _convince_ you to see reason."

Tessa spent the rest of the day screaming.

* * *

"Found her!" Magnus shouted triumphantly. "Do you have any idea how _close _she is to this place?" Magnus was shocked that a mere human could summon enough power to completely glamour an entire estate.

"Where is she?" Jem shouted. "What do you mean, she's close? You got no information from her letters, wouldn't they have at least implied as much?"

"Mortmain is a very powerful mundane, I will give him that. Somehow he managed to render his estate unplottable, so only something with an extreme amount of meaning to a person would show their location in such a place. And I believe I did mention that she was within the area." Magnus pulled over a map of London and marked a spot only a few miles from the Institute.

"Well, then when can we go get her?"

"We—" Will began. Magnus noticed his voice shook just a bit. "She's only been gone for two days. As far as Mortmain knows, we are still likely to be planning something. We— we have to wait at least a little more to give him false security."

"Will's right," said Charlotte. "And besides, we don't even have a plan yet. We can't just charge the place, that would get us no where, and who knows what he would do to Tessa if we tried." She began to discuss with Magnus the easiest way to get to Mortmain's home without being seen. Meanwhile, Will tapped Jem on the shoulder and beckoned him to join him in the library.

* * *

Jem followed Will into the library. He could tell that Will was nervous about something.

"Jem, I need to talk to you."

Jem raised his eyebrow. "About...?"

"Tessa."

Jem sighed. "Will, I know."

"I—wait, what?" Will looked at Jem, confused.

"I know how you feel about Tessa."

Will was silent for a moment. Staring at the ground, he asked, "How did you know?"

"I didn't. Not until you started tearing apart Tessa's room. That's when I knew. Will, why didn't you tell me?"

"At first I couldn't. You know, because I thought I was cursed. And then I was going to, but then you and Tessa got engaged and you were so happy and no matter how much I tried not to I couldn't stop thinking about how your life will probably be shorter than mine and you are such a good person that you deserve to be happy during whatever you have left, and I couldn't take that away from you. You're my brother, Jem, and I couldn't get in the way of you and Tessa." Will stopped, looking like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Will, you should have said something. You lived your whole life thinking no one could love you, and you deserve to be happy, too."

"We have to get her back."

"We _will_. We've found her, and we will bring her back. We can work out all of _this _when she gets back."

"Jem?"

"Yes, Will?"

"I—thank you, Jem. You are the best brother anyone could ever ask for."

"Will!" Jessamine called up. "Come down here Will, someone's at the door."

Jem and Will ran up to the front door and saw a skinny blonde girl with hazel eyes.

"Will, what did you do now?" Jessamine sighed. "Did you lead her on?"

"No, Jessamine, I did not. I have never seen this girl in my life. You know, you can't keep blaming us for making the Clave question you, it wasn't our decision. It was _your_ fault that Nate led _you_ on, and be glad the Clave found you innocent. Now I'll have you know, I have not been to a brothel in months. She cannot be here for me."

Jem stared at her. "Who are you here to see?"

The girl held up a note: _I can help you get to Tessa_.

* * *

**What did you think of chapter 5? I hope you all like it. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**And Chapter 6 is up! Thank you all so much for the great reviews, I'm glad you like the story. The blonde girl was originally just going to deliver Tessa that first message, but I decided to make her a little more important. She is the only unique character in this—Cassandra Clare owns the rest of TID!**

* * *

Will grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her inside while everyone started talking at once.

"What do you mean you can help?"  
"Who are you?"  
"How's Tessa?"  
"Where did you come from?"  
"What do you know?"

The girl held up a hand, and then motioned to her throat while shaking her head.

"You can't talk?" Cecily asked. The girl nodded. She made a writing motion, and Henry ran into the Institute and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and ink. The girl took a seat in the dining room and began to write her message.

_Mortmain thinks I am getting him clockwork parts, and he cannot know I was ever here. I'm in charge of helping Tessa heal, and I want to help get her out. What do you need to know?_

Will and Jem paled. "Heal?" said Jem. "What is Mortmain doing to her?"

_Mortmain is upset that Tessa refuses to Change for him, so he is trying various methods to "convince" her._

"Oh my God." Will looked sick, and so did Jem.

"What else do you know?" asked Charlotte.

_Mortmain still wants Tessa to change into JTS—the initials are on a watch. All I know is that if Tessa agrees, then the entire race of Shadowhunters are at risk._

"Wait—" Jessamine began suspiciously. "How do you know about Shadowhunters?"

_My entire family has the Sight, we have for generations. That's why Mortmain keeps me. That, and because I can't speak. He doesn't know how much I listen._

_"_Do you know who JTS is?" asked Henry. They all looked at the girl eagerly.

She paused for a moment, then nodded. _He is John Thaddeus Shade—__Mortmain's adoptive warlock father. The story was that Mortmain's parents had created a weapon to destroy the Shadowhunters, what it is I don't know, and they were executed by the Clave when they were found out._

By this time Will was up and pacing. "Why can't you convince her to save herself and Change for him? Just for a minute?"

_She can't. I told her she can't. Mortmain has learned how to make a Change permanent, so if she complies then she will be stuck in JTS's form forever and never be who she was._

Jem stood up and joined Will in pacing around the room. "Oh my God, what is wrong with him?" Jem promptly began to let loose a string of curses that were definitely _not _proper in civilized conversation, but no one noticed as they weren't in English.

_Tessa is a strong girl, but she can't hold out forever. Mortmain will be relentless, and he will do everything in his power to get his way. Most people would have caved by now._

"Most people would have..." Will repeated faintly. "WHAT HAS HE DONE TO HER?"

The girl flinched. Jem noticed her hands were shaking just as Will kicked a whole in the wall.

"WILL!" screeched Charlotte. "Please, CONTROL YOURSELF!"

Will took a deep breath. "OK, onto another subject. How can we get her out?"

The girl tapped the top of the pen against the top of her chin for a minute and then scribbled out, _OK, you need to know that once you are inside Mortmain's the first floor is almost entirely a maze. It is designed to confuse you, and if you hear ANYONE, go in the opposite direction. If you follow the sound you will get to a dead end and a gate will fall down and you will be trapped and then he will kill you all. He only needs Tessa, and once you break in, he doesn't care what he does to you. Also, I am in charge of locking the front gate and the front door at night. On your choice date, I will "mess up," and there will be an easy path to the inside. Then you just have to find your way through the maze, and then I can lead you to her as long as I haven't been caught. Once you're in, the hard part will be getting back out. The windows don't open far enough to jump, so you'll have to go back the way you came._

"You would really do that for us?" asked Cecily.

The girl nodded. _I once knew someone who was close with you all, and I feel like I should help you._

"Who—" Will started until Charlotte shushed him.

"She doesn't have to tell us."

"I don't know how to thank you," said Jem.

Henry suddenly jumped from the table and ran out. A few minutes later he came in with an armful of stray parts. "Mortmain thinks you are getting parts. Now you are. He will never know you were here."

The girl smiled and mouthed _thank you_. She was just about to leave when she stopped and ran back to the paper.

_When do you want to rescue her? So I know when to open the gates._

Everyone looked at each other. "How long can she last?" asked Will.

_At the most, maybe a week from today._

Charlotte thought for a minute. "How about five days from now? Today is Sunday. So... Friday?"

The girl nodded, and, carrying the metal parts, walked out the door.

* * *

Tessa hurt. Everywhere. Mortmain didn't seem to care how loud she was screaming, and the more she screamed, the more he hurt her, thinking he was closer to success. She got here Saturday, and it was Thursday. By now, Mortmain was trying a different tactic, and hadn't fed her in three days. She was weak and starving, and she didn't know how much longer she could resist.

_Don't think that. You HAVE to resist!_

She heard a knock at the door, and she shrunk back against the wall. The blonde girl came in. She had been checking on her everyday, presumably to Mortmain's orders, to make sure she didn't die from blood loss or starvation. Mortmain wanted to push her to her limit without completely killing her, only making her compliant.

The girl wiggled her fingers in a small wave and approached Tessa. Tessa managed a smile that probably looked more like a grimace, and lifted herself off the wall. The girl reached into her pocket and handed Tessa an apple. Accepting it gratefully, Tessa took it in her hands and saw that a message had been scratched into it: _JTS is Mortmain's adoptive warlock father_. Tessa looked up at the girl and she nodded.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, thank you," said Tessa as she wrapped the girl in a hug. The girl nodded and left the room.

_I sincerely hope she isn't caught._

* * *

**And that my friends was chapter 6! What do you think?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter 7! Hope you all like it!**

* * *

For the London Institute's shadowhunters, Friday could not come fast enough.

When it finally did, they were again gathered around the dining room table, along with Magnus, and were planning how best to infiltrate Mortmain's lair and discussing, more heatedly, who would be allowed to come along.

"You CANNOT leave me here, I want to go help Tessa!" Cecily protested. "I've been training for a while and am perfectly capable of defending myself."

"Cece, you have never been in a single battle before in your life, and I will not let your first be against an army of clockwork beasts!" Exclaimed Will.

"And Sophie, you aren't even a shadowhunter, there is no way in good conscience that we could send you along," said Charlotte.

"Speaking of that..." began Henry. He pointedly glanced at Charlotte's bulging stomach.

"Oh, no. You are not making me stay here," said Charlotte.

"But darling, what about the baby?"

"Tessa is like my own daughter. You can't tell me that I can't go help her. What if—" she broke off. "What if... I _have_ to see her again, no matter what happens, and what if she—"

"Charlotte, we are going to _bring her back here,_" said Will. "Of COURSE you will see her again. There is no room for the possibility that you won't."

"OK, fine, I will stay, but Sophie has to, too." said Charlotte. "That's my condition."

"What? I—" Sophie stopped when several glares were pointed in her direction. "Ugh, fine."

Will turned to his sister. "Cece—"

"No, don't even try. I am coming to help, whether you let me go willingly or I have to sneak out of here after you all leave and meet you there. Your choice."

Will looked pleadingly at Jem for help. He could only shrug. Cecily was a very determined girl.

"Well, you all can do whatever you like, I am not going," declared Jessamine.

"But Jessie, you are an extremely talented fighter, on par with all the men in this room," said Charlotte. All the men looked at Charlotte with doubt in their face.

"It doesn't matter. I am not going. Ladies do not fight." And she left the room, her point being made.

"Well, at least Magnus is coming," said Jem.

* * *

Mortmain was in a good mood as he walked around outside. He knew that he was close to breaking Tessa, she hadn't been fed in four days. He smiled. It was not at all an attractive smile.

"Soon, dear father, we will be reunited, and the shadowhunters will pay for what they did to our family."

As he headed toward the door, something fell on top of his head.

An apple core.

He looked up and saw that he was above Tessa's room. He growled, an inhuman noise, and thought. He only had one person that could possibly give Tessa food. She was the only other human in the house.

He stormed through the front door, good mood gone completely. He called out for one of his masterpieces, giving it orders to fetch the girl.

_She will pay_.

* * *

_She has no idea how she saved me_.

Because the girl gave her the apple, Tessa was given a brief reprieve from her torture, and for that she could never repay the girl. She had thrown the apple out the window in the hope that it would land in the bushes and Mortmain would never find it. The last thing Tessa wanted was to get her in trouble after all she did for her.

She resumed staring out the window, focusing on, as always, the points of the Institute. She had never realized how much she missed all of them.

* * *

Will and Jem were in the weapons room preparing to leave. They would be going to rescue Tessa soon, along with Gideon, Henry, Magnus, and Cecily. The Clave refused to send any help on the grounds that this was more of a rescue mission than an assassination attempt of Mortmain, which was true. The goal was to get Tessa, but if Mortmain ended up dead along the way, then all the better.

"Alright, so does everyone know the plan? We go in, and Will and Jem will go find Tessa, following the corridors that DO NOT MAKE NOISE. The rest of us will fight off the clockwork creatures to prevent them from going after the boys," explained Henry for about the millionth time. Will didn't mind, though. He was just glad he would be the one to go get Tessa. "After you get Tessa, you either come back the way you came, or jump out the window if it isn't too high. If you go with the latter, get Tessa to the carriage and then one of you must come back and let us know so we can start our retreat. Got it?"

"Yes, Henry," said Jem. He had just taken a large dose of his medicine to prevent any problems during the mission.

"Then let's go."

* * *

The blonde girl snuck out of Mortmain's fortress and unlocked the front gate. On her way in, she didn't lock the front door. As she walked towards the kitchen, a hand snaked its way around her arm in an iron grip. A clockwork creature.

"Master wants to see you," it hissed.

* * *

**Yes, it's a cliff-hanger. There's only a few chapters left and I can only do so many more :) Sorry that it is a bit shorter than some of my chapters, but I hope you all liked it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alrighty, here's chapter 8! Thank you all for the awesome reviews, and I hope you like this!**

* * *

Despite the fact that her stomach was killing her, Tessa was probably better off than she would have been without the apple the girl gave her. Still, she felt almost like she was going to hurl. This was the state she was in when Mortmain burst through her door without knocking looking furious.

He was holding her apple core in one hand and dragged the blonde girl in the other.

"She helped you, didn't she?" he spat. "DIDN'T SHE?"

"No, she did not!" Tessa spoke as adamantly as she could considering her hunger left her light headed.

"You lie. Where else would this have come from?" He shoved the apple core in her face. "This hit me falling out of _your_ window."

"I found it myself!"

"And where would you have gotten it from? Hmm?"

"I—" Tessa began.

"Don't even try to lie to me." He snapped his fingers and in came one of the automatons that had previously made Tessa's life miserable. She shrunk back but stopped when she realized it wasn't coming after her. It was going after the blonde girl.

"Don't hurt her, she did nothing wrong!" Tessa exclaimed. Forgetting her fear, she ran at the machine, but Mortmain caught her and pulled her away.

"She did everything wrong. She did exactly what I told her not to by helping you, because if she hadn't helped you, then you'd have done what I asked and then _I _would have helped you! I would have treated you like royalty!"

"No, you wouldn't have. You'd have treated your _father_ like royalty, but not me." Tessa said it before she thought it over, and realized how much trouble she just put the girl in. She tried to fix it. "Don't play dumb. I heard you through the vent. My hearing is quite excellent at times, and I know what you want from me."

"Don't play games with me, I know she told you. AND SHE CAN'T EVEN TALK!" Mortmain roared. "And she will pay. And you will watch."

"No—" Tessa stopped at the girl's first strangely pitched scream.

* * *

"Good luck, darling," said Charlotte, looking at her husband. "Promise me you will come back safe."

"I promise, darling." He kissed Charlotte and then went to check their preparations.

"Be careful, Gideon," said Sophie. Gideon wrapped her in a hug.

"It will all be OK," he said.

Will mounted Xanthos, Jem mounted Bailos, and the rest of them rode in a carriage, just in case Tessa's... condition prevented her from riding. Will kicked his horse and Xanthos spurred on at a breakneck speed. They _had _to get to Tessa before... well, they couldn't think about that. They would get there _before_, they would. Will and Jem were in the lead, having previously memorized the route to the mansion, so they would lead the others on.

"Left!" he heard Jem shout, and the two of them turned at a completely synchronized pace.

_Tessa, Tessa, Tessa_. Will thought her name with every beat of the horses hooves. It was the only thought in his mind as they spurred on. _Tessa Tessa Tessa_.

_Tessa_.

Approaching a previously unnoticed path, the rescue group rumbled down the road. There was no conversation, everyone focused on the task ahead. As they rode along, they heard a high-pitched whine that sounded almost like a scream. Will glanced at Jem and saw that he went pale. _No, no, no no no no no no NO!_ They pushed all of their horses harder, determined to get to the source of the scream. But it didn't sound completely like Tessa to Will. _No, not Tessa_, he told himself.

"No, no, please stop it!"

Will jerked. Now _that_ was Tessa. But she didn't sound in pain, she sounded terrified. _What the hell is he doing?_ thought Will. As they continued, he and Jem began to try and focus their eyes to see through the glamor. Within moments, it had fallen away and they saw a gigantic house with tall spires, gargoyles, and a pointed gate. As they stared up at the house, Will's eyes fell on a window. There was a figure looking out.

It was Tessa. They were in the right place.

* * *

Tessa couldn't watch. This was the worst Mortmain had done to her yet. She had thought he wouldn't hurt anyone she cared about, but she never thought about meeting someone else that wasn't on her contract, and she could tell Mortmain was taking advantage of it. Hardly able to listen, she shrunk into her seat by the window and burst into tears, keeping her eyes outside. She continued sobbing as she realized that after what the girl did, Mortmain surely wouldn't let her live, but made her death as gruesome as possible. The screaming was unbearable and before she knew it, Tessa was shouting, too.

"No, no, please stop it! Stop it you bastard! Stop it! PLEASE STOP!"

She looked outside and stopped shouting for a brief second. A group of horses were heading towards Mortmain's estate. Looking closer she recognized two familiar faces: Will and Jem.

_No, I TOLD THEM NOT TO COME!_

She quickly turned away from the window, but not subtly enough that Mortmain didn't notice. He raised an eyebrow and walked over to the window, giving the blonde girl a rest for a moment. _Don't let him know_, she thought.

She stood up and tried to act like she was trying to back away. "What do you want?"

"Miss Gray, I would like to request that you move away from the window."

"Why? What are you going to do to me?"

"Nothing to you. I just want to look out the window."

"No."

"And why is that?" Mortmain looked at her with a glance that was both impatient and amused, as if he was curious to her excuse.

"Because... because you have to fix her," she said, pointing at the girl who had fallen in a bloody heap on the floor.

Mortmain ignored her and pushed Tessa away from the window. He saw the rescue group coming towards his house and an evil grin stretched across his face.

"It looks like we are going to have some company," he said. "Now remember, Miss Gray, our contract specifically states that I would do no harm to your friends as long as they did not come rescue you. It seems that they are refusing to uphold their part of the contract, and I am forced to... defend myself. I am completely allowed to do what I am about to do, and you will see that I am not a liar."

Tessa stared at him with hate in her eyes. He turned to walk out the door.

"Oh, and before I go," he started. He signaled to the automaton which reached out with one of its knife hands towards the blonde girl. Tessa launched herself at it to stop it but she was too late.

It stabbed the girl through the stomach and both she and Tessa screamed, and then it followed Mortmain out the door.

Tessa knelt down by the girl and scooped her into her lap. "I'm so, so, _so _sorry. This is all my fault. I gave you away and all you did was help me. I never even learned your name. I'm such an awful person. I'm so so so so sorry."

The girl looked up at Tessa with blinking eyes. She reached out and squeezed Tessa's hand, as if she was trying to tell her that she forgave her. Tessa sobbed as she watched the girl take one last shaky breath and left the world forever.

Tessa would never forget the girl's last scream. It was almost as if it took a knife in the stomach to force the mute girl to speak her only word.

_Thomas_.

* * *

**Well, what do you think? I hope you all like it. I'm trying to write fast to finish the story before school starts. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**OHMYGOD GUYS I AM SOOOOO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! I had to finish summer reading, and with school starting I was totally swamped. But anyways, here is chapter 9!**

* * *

Mortmain walked quickly through his house towards the stairs that lead to his basement. His face was contorted with rage... and excitement. _They broke their promise, now I can kill every last one of them after what their kind did to my family!_

In the basement he flipped the light switch, and facing him was about fifty fighting clockwork machines. He smiled. He was a genius anyway, he almost didn't even need his father anymore...

...the realization made him stop. _He really didn't need his father to finish his project_. If he didn't need his father, he didn't need Tessa, either.

Things were about to get extremely interesting.

* * *

The horses rammed into the ground as quickly as anyone could make them go until they finally approached the gates of Mortmain's abode. Hopping off, Will and Jem both ran up to the iron bars and pushed.

The opened. So the girl came through. "They're open!" shouted Jem to Henry and the others. The rest of them piled out of the carriage and followed Will and Jem inside and up the path to the big double doors. Pushing through, the group began to move in cautiously, expecting an ambush.

"Tessa?" called Will into a hallway that forked in two. He was able to make out jumbled words coming from the right tunnel just as the first clockwork machine jumped out of the shadows. Ripping out their weapons, the shadowhunters leaped into battle.

"WILL! GO FIND TESSA!" shouted Henry from the fray. Reluctant though he was to leave his friends in danger, he grabbed Jem and pulled him towards the hallways. The words were still coming from the right, however unrecognizable.

"We have to go left, don't we," said Jem.

It was the hardest thing the two of them would ever have to do: walk _away_ from the voice of the girl they both loved.

* * *

The battle was not going well for either side. While many of the automatons had fallen, the shadowhunters were nearing the point of exhaustion. Surprisingly, Cecily had the most energy out of all of them, and she continued to rally the rest of them as they began to tire.

"Come on, keep going! We have to wait for Will and Jem!"

And they did keep fighting, and at least half of them were gone by now. If they were fighting humans, the battle would have been over much sooner, but the clockwork people took much longer to stop working as they felt no pain.

_Will had better get to Tessa right now or we are all going to freaking die!_ thought Cecily, along with some very unladylike words as she continuously slashed at machine after machine. As she fought, she glanced over at Gideon, who was taking on two at once...

And did NOT notice the one planning a sneak attack behind him. Ducking out of the way of her opponent, she hurled her blade at the one about to kill Gideon while shouting at him, and he whirled just in time to see it drop. Looking back to thank her, Cecily saw Gideon's eyes grow wide.

"Cecily, watch—"

Cecily didn't hear him finish because one of the monsters rammed itself into her and she quickly passed out.

* * *

As they ran along the corridors, Jem and Will were growing more and more uneasy. It seemed as though these halls were endless, and they would never actually _get_ to Tessa, let alone get her back out and back to the others who were hopefully holding on.

_I should not have let Cece come, she could seriously hurt herself_, thought Will, but these thoughts gave way to those surrounding Tessa. _She has to be OK, she has to has to has to has to!_

Finally, they came to a door at the end of one of the hallways. Will and Jem looked at each other, and Will pulled out his stele. Scribbling the unlocking rune, they pushed the door open and ran inside. What they saw made Will nearly throw up.

The blonde girl was lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood, and Mortmain was holding a knife to Tessa's throat with a crazed smile on his face.

* * *

As they continued fighting, Henry ran over to the unmoving Cecily. As he looked at her, he noticed a soft pulse fluttering at her neck and he breathed a sigh of relief. He scooped her up and ran her out to the carriage, placing her gently inside. He then quickly wrapped the gash on her head and ran back out to the fight.

They had to finish this now, or they would all pass out from exhaustion.

* * *

Will and Jem froze. Tessa looked awful. Long cuts ran across all visible skin, she was much, much skinnier from lack of food, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the boys, almost willing them to do..._something_.

"Why hello, boys," drawled Mortmain. "I see you have no regard for our agreement that your dear Miss Gray and I wrote up to protect you. Instead of accepting her sacrifice, you throw yourself into danger, perhaps causing more damage than would have been done before." He smiled, daring them to contradict him. "I will give you one last chance to... make amends for your so blatant disregard for our contract. Take your band of shadowhunters and leave right now, or Miss Gray will meet quite an... unpleasant end."

"You won't hurt her, you need her," said Jem.

"Oh quite the contrary. I just came to the realization that I actually _don't _need her as much as I thought I did. Of course, having her will make things easier, but she is just as expendable as you."

Will felt faint. He couldn't kill Tessa, not now, not now that they finally made it to her, not in front of them. They _couldn't _watch her die.

Neither boy moved. "Walk out right now and don't come back."

"And how do we know you won't kill her when we leave?"

"Oh, I won't. I'd rather have her help me, to be completely honest, but as she is no longer _necessary_, I don't mind killing her if you DON'T GET OUT"

"Will, Jem," Tessa said. Her voice was scratchy like she had been screaming. "Please kill him."

Mortmain held the blade tighter to her throat, and a bead of blood appeared. Tessa winced. The boys still didn't move.

"If you would rather have her, then why would you kill her?"

"Fine," said Mortmain. Maintaining a tight grip on her arm, Mortmain moved the blade to Tessa's stomach. "If you take one step closer, I will put this through her. If I win this fight, I will have time to fix her, as she is already here and my machines are excellent at that sort of work. If you win, then there is almost no chance you will get her back in time to do her any good. The only way that a whole will not be put into Miss Gray is if you turn around and walk out _now_."

* * *

**And again, I'm sorry about the wait, but hey, there are only one or two more chapters! I hope you all liked this one and I promise to try and update soon! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW**


	10. Chapter 10

**All right, chapter ten is now up! You guys have every right to be mad at me, I totally waited forever to post this. I am so sorry, but with school and everything I've had no time. I promise, the story is almost done, thanks for anyone who has been hanging with me :)**

* * *

Tessa was beginning to feel desperate. "Jem, please, Will, _please_," she begged. "Please kill him."

"You don't mind being stabbed again after what happened this week?" taunted Mortmain.

"I don't care," she said, hoping it wasn't as obvious to everyone else as it was to her how much of a lie that was. "I hate you. I hate you for killing that girl, I hate you for what you have done to me, I hate you for what you have done to everyone I care about. And I honestly couldn't care less if I die right now because that means I would never have to see your stupid face ever again, and then there really is nothing you could do to hurt me anymore." She meant the last part though. She meant every word.

Looking at Jem and Will, she saw they were not going to come any closer, and were almost ready to leave, just to spare her life. "Will, _please?"_

He looked back at her and she saw that he couldn't. He couldn't be the cause of her death, because that would be almost like the curse he thought he had was coming true.

This was all beginning to feel so dejavu-ish. She remembered the first time she faced off with Mortmain and made him believe she stabbed herself. Tessa took a deep breath, and stared at both of them.

* * *

Cecily woke up in the carriage quite disoriented. She was alone, and she could still hear the clatter of the battle coming from inside Mortmain's mansion. She pushed herself up slowly, still dizzy.

_What happened back there?_ All Cecily remembered was throwing a knife to save Gideon and then everything had gone black. One of them must have hit _her_ from behind. _Those scumbags_.

Deciding quickly that she had to get back and help, Cecily took stock of her remaining weapons—two seraph blades. Well, they'd have to do.

Steadying herself, she stepped out of the carriage—

—only to be grabbed by four waiting automatons.

* * *

Will noticed that something in Tessa's eyes changed right then. And then he heard her speak the three very words that ripped his world apart the last time.

"I'm so sorry."

And then Will watched, helpless to do anything else, as Tessa threw herself on the knife.

And they leapt into action, drawing their blades and leaping towards Mortmain on either side as he tried to prop Tessa up as a human shield. They attacked with a vengeance, and knew they had to do it quickly before either the rest of his army arrived or Tessa died. Tessa, meanwhile, had slumped in Mortmain's arms, face contorted in pain and curled around the knife in her stomach. She didn't scream, but let out a moan that was almost worse as she flopped down towards the ground. Mortmain dropped her and drew his own knives, ready to take on both Shadowhunters until his automatons got there.

As they fought Mortmain, Jem grew more and more restless. They had to get Tessa out, and they had to do it fast, or she wasn't going to make it.

Will was desperate. He was stabbing at Mortmain and slowly, slowly losing control of himself. All he knew was one thought pounding through his head.

_This monster hurt Tessa this monster hurt Tessa he hurt her he hurt her he HURT HER_.

In their fight, neither of them noticed Mortmain's smile as he clapped his hands together

and the world went white.

* * *

They heard the explosion from the battlefield below. It rocked the ground, and both human and automaton stopped what they were doing to look up at the tower where Tessa had been held.

The machines were dwindling. Most had gone down, and a few were becoming conflicted over whether or not they should keep fighting or go help their master.

This was the decision that the automatons holding Cecily had to make as they carried her kicking and screaming towards the mansion. She was putting up a fight and slowing their progress towards Mortmain, and they could get there much faster if they dropped her. That was the decision they made, and, unceremoniously, they dropped her onto the ground and ran inside to find Mortmain.

Cecily stood up, still a bit unsteady on her feet, as Henry came running towards her.

"Cece—"

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

There was a long pause.

"They're all gone," said Henry. "Any of them left are inside with Will, Jem, and Tessa."

Cecily stared up at the tower that had the explosion only moments ago. "We should send someone up there, they will _need_ help!"

Gideon came wandering over. "I'll go," he said. And he ran inside.

* * *

Will woke up lying on the ground with a knife at his throat.

"Ready to surrender yet?" Mortmain asked with a wicked grin.

"No, surrendering isn't really my style. Where's Tessa and Jem?" he demanded, growing apprehensive when Mortmain's grin widened. He followed his glance and saw Jem lying where Tessa once was. Tessa was rolled across the room to safety, and Jem was now crushed under the explosion's debris.

"I'd say the cards aren't in your favor at the moment, Mr. Herondale. Perhaps surrender will bring some mercy to you and your friends."

Will hesitated. He knew exactly how to save himself, but he couldn't save both Jem and Tessa, and Mortmain knew that. Mortmain also knew that Will knew that Mortmain could save them both. It was at that moment when Gideon burst into the room.

_Swoosh_. A seraph blade came flying across the doorway and embedded itself in Mortmain before Mortmain even realized that Gideon had entered. He collapsed on top of a disgusted Will, who quickly pushed his body off of him and ran over to Jem.

"W-Will?" Jem asked weakly.

"Right here," said Will. He was searching desperately for something that would be strong enough to lift the debris off his parabatai—even with his and Gideon's strength combined it wouldn't be enough. "Hang in there, James."

"T-too late, Will. Can't-t b-breathe."

Will shook his head. "You're going to be fine, just hold on, hold on _please._ For crying out loud, you can't miss your _own wedding_. James, I command you to stay alive."

Jem just smiled up at Will as Will's eyes slowly filled with tears.

"Will?"

"Still here. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."

"Will, r-remember w-what I said bef-fore. Y-you d-deserve to be h-happy too," he said with a glance over at Tessa, who was currently being attended to by Gideon who understood that Will had to be with Jem right now.

"No, you stubborn idiot, you are getting out of here and you are getting married!"

Jem shook his head. "If there is another life, I- I hope I see you there William."

Now Will really did start crying. He nodded his head. "If there is another life Jem, you deserve the best one there is."

Jem smiled, and he stopped breathing, and his eyes stared unseeing up towards his parabatai. Stifling a sob, Will closed his brother's eyes. "Ave atque vale, James Carstairs."

* * *

**I know I know I know! I LOVE JEM TOO! I know all you Jem-lovers are going to kill me, but I couldn't come up with a way for Tessa to be with _anyone_ unless one of the boys died. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But hey, all that's left is the epilogue! I hope this was worth the wait. Reviews are always welcome!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know. I know. I KNOW. I am a horrible person for leaving you all with that. I've had exams and the holidays are busy and everything, but I wanted the epilogue to be perfect. Well, as perfect as it can be. Hope you all like the ending!**

* * *

Tessa woke up to a dull, throbbing pain in her stomach. Opening her eyes, she squinted against the bright light. For a moment she forgot where she was, but looking around she was able to determine that she was back in the Institute's hospital. She felt a thick bandage wrapped around her stomach, and everything came flooding back.

_Everything hurt. Everything. Everything. The burning in her stomach took up all of her attention, and she couldn't think of anything else. She knew that she had to help Will and Jem take down... someone... but it hurt too much. Everything was in a haze. Her life was slowly fading away as her blood pooled on the floor_

_When an explosion sounded, she saw someone run over to her... Jem, it looked like. He looked afraid, and he whispered something but she couldn't understand it. Then he rolled her across the floor and it hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt and something collapsed but she couldn't focus on anything because all she could feel was the pain in her stomach and someone ran up to her—_

_—and it all went black._

And that was all she remembered, and she couldn't make sense of it, but she remembered how badly it hurt and was just glad she was safe. She was _home_. At some point, she had started thinking of the Institute as _home_, and she didn't mind one bit.

A snore from across the room drew her attention. _Will_. Will was passed out in a chair next to her hospital bed. She had no idea how long he'd been there. Actually, she didn't know how long _she'd_ been there. She shifted in the bed and let out a gasp of pain. Everything still hurt.

Her outburst woke Will, if he had ever actually been asleep. "Tess? You OK?"

"Think so. The hole in my stomach doesn't feel so great, though," she said, trying for a smile. "How long have I been out?"

"Out as in away from Mortmain, or out as in passed out?"

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"True. Four and a half days."

"Oh." She shifted again, wondering if Will wasn't telling her something.

"Mortmain's dead," he said. "Gideon killed him."

"Gideon was there? Was he the one I saw before I passed out?"

"Yes." Again, the thought that he was hiding something.

"Will..." she began tentatively. "What aren't you telling me?"

Will bit his lip and scrunched up his face a little. "Tess..."

"Will, what aren't you telling me?" she demanded. "Oh no, who—"

"Jem. Jem's gone."

* * *

Two weeks later, Tessa and Will walked out of the funeral. Neither had talked much since she woke up—the loss of a brother and fiancé can do that to a person.

"I'm sorry, Will."

Will looked up in surprise. "Why on earth are _you_ sorry?"

"Because Jem—he died saving me. He didn't have to die but he did because of me. I should have gotten crushed, not him." If she hadn't been cried out, she would have burst into tears again.

"Tess, it's not your fault, this was his _choice_. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have gotten there first, then you and Jem would still have gotten your wedding."

They walked in silence for a while, Will's arm around Tessa for comfort. Will couldn't stop thinking about Jem's last words to him.

_You deserve to be happy, too_.

Did he deserve to be happy? After everything he had done, he wasn't so sure. He had pushed everyone away for so long, thinking it was for the best. And now that he found out it wasn't, the one thing he wanted more than anything else in the world had belonged to someone else. And suddenly, there was a chance he _could_ be happy.

At the cost of his parabatai's life. How could he possibly in good conscience pursue the girl of his dreams when the only reason he could was because Jem was dead?

* * *

Life went on. Will was incredibly ashamed to say it, but eventually people had to pick up and move on without Jem. Will himself was never going to have another parabatai, and it was exceedingly different in fights not having his best friends watching his back, but things went on.

_You deserve to be happy, too._

Will could not forget his friend's words. He thought them over and over, turned them around in his mind. Did Jem really mean that it would be okay for him to be with Tessa?

He was out walking at night when it happened. He was passing the graveyard and decided that, for the first time since the funeral, he would go in and see Jem's grave. Walking in almost hesitantly, he kneeled down beside his friend's grave.

_James Carstairs_. Will couldn't convince Charlotte and Henry to have them write "Jem." He smiled bitterly at the thought. No one every really called him James unless the moment was serious.

"Will." Will nearly stopped breathing. Jem's voice. Jem could not be alive.

And then it hit him. Why he hadn't thought of this sooner, he didn't know. Jem's ghost could speak to him.

"Jem." Will's voice cracked. "Jem, why haven't you moved on?"

He could see Jem's pale form in front of him, but he didn't step closer and didn't talk too much—he feared he would cry again. He thought he was able to move one, but seeing Jem in front of him again—it was too soon.

"Will, I want to. But I had to talk to you one more time. Will, I need you to take care of Tessa."

"I can't—she was _your _fiancé, and I can't be with her now that you are gone."

"Will, but that's just it. I _am_ gone. But I don't want you two to be alone forever because of me. She needs someone. She needs _you_, and you need her. You make each other happy, and I'm okay with that. Besides, we were going to discuss this topic after we saved her anyway, and I have a feeling it would have gone this way if we had had the chance."

It was taking all Will's strength not to burst into tears. "Jem, are you sure?"

"Trust me, if I wasn't so sure, I would have moved on by now without saying anything."

Will smiled. "I hope to see you in the next life, James."

Jem smiled back as he began to fade. "You too, William."

And he was gone.

* * *

It took Will a month after that to work up the courage to bring this up to Tessa. When he finally did, he found her in the library.

She was reading a book, and when she heard him come in, she looked up at him and smiled. "Hello, Will."

He took a deep breath and sat down beside her. "Tessa, we need to talk."

Tessa looked at him warily. "...about what?"

Will ran his hand through his hair. How was he supposed to say this? He sat there in silence for a solid minute when Tessa stood up and said, "Well, if we aren't going to talk, I'm going to wash up for dinner."

"Tessa, wait—" Will stood up, pulled her against him, and kissed her. She was surprised at first, and froze, but she leaned into him eventually, and they stood in the library kissing for what seemed to them like forever. When they finally pulled apart, she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Tessa, I'm in love with you, and we can go as slow as you want, but I never want to let you go again, ever."

She smiled up at him. "I love you too, Will."

And he kissed her again, and for the moment, all there was was the two of them.

* * *

**Okay, okay, I know, incredibly cliche ending. But I wanted to wrap this up for you all and let you have their ending, and I didn't want to go too far into their future because I didn't have any plans for that... yet I suppose. I have no idea if I'm writing a sequel to this or not. Please review and let me know if you all liked the story. Thanks for sticking with me :)**

**-VBreadergirl123**


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